Mistakes
by Sparky Dorian
Summary: Spock and Kirk go on a little recon mission, and find more than they bargained for. Some whumpage. Buddiness, no slash!


"I dinnae think this is a good idea, Cap'n." Montgomery Scott looked hesitant.

"Jim, listen to him if you won't listen to me," McCoy agreed with a scowl. "I have a bad feeling about this. At least take a bigger security team with you."

"There is no reason to suspect any danger," Spock's smooth voice cut in. "I calculate that our chance of meeting with any dangerous situation is less than 3.2 percent."

"Well, there's always that 2.3 percent chance you're wrong," McCoy growled.

"3.2 percent," Spock corrected. McCoy's scowl deepened.

"Fine. But don't come cryin' to me when you've been shot by some sort of untraceable life form."

"We'll be fine, Bones," Jim assured him with a grin. "It's just an empty ship, and we've scanned it thoroughly."

"Hmph." McCoy rolled his eyes slightly.

"Energize," Jim said to Scotty. The Captain, First Officer, and two security guards were beamed away from the Enterprise.

"All readings appear to be normal, Captain," Spock said as he scanned with his tricorder.

"Well, as normal as you can get for an abandoned ship," Jim joked with a smirk.

Spock inclined his head and continued to walk around, scanning things methodically. The two redshirts followed, talking to each other.

"Hey, look, there's a video screen," Jim said, poking it with a smile. Spock walked over quickly.

"I would advise you not to touch anything, Captain." The Vulcan looked at the screen. It simply showed an empty corridor. "This is most unexpected. According to all scans, there was no residual power left in the vessel."

"Uh, Captain?" Ensign Gray asked nervously. "If there was one thing we didn't pick up, maybe there are more. Are you sure we shouldn't just, y'know, beam back?"

"I am fairly certain that no other discrepancies are present."

"And I'm a hundred percent certain that I trust _him_," Jim said, gesturing to Spock. "Relax, Ensign. We'll be fine."

"I-If you say so, sir," Gray said hesitantly. His companion, Ensign Travis, looked more confident.

"Are we going to explore more, sir?" He inquired of Kirk. The man nodded with a grin.

"That's why we're here, Ensign," the Captain said. Spock raised one eyebrow at Jim's cheerful grin but provided what would be the most logical location for the bridge. The away team trooped through several abandoned hallways and Spock nodded at a door.

"I believe that the bridge is through this door," Spock said. Jim nodded and looked for a scanner to open it. He waved his hand in front of it and the door slid open.

"Hey!" There was the sound of two phasers being fired and then two thuds. Spock turned rapidly, his phaser out.

Jim mimicked his movements and swore. Travis and Gray were laying prone on the ground, both bleeding heavily and completely still. Standing around thee were four large, humanoid-looking robots. Spock knelt down very slowly and quickly checked their pulses. He couldn't find one in either man.

"McCoy was right," Kirk muttered, glancing at the bodies of the ensigns with a sickened expression. He looked at Spock. "Do we shoot 'em?"

"I do not recognize their construction patterns," Spock said quietly, returning to a standing position. "It is doubtful that the phasers will affect them, Captain, but we can attempt it." Jim nodded and discharged his phaser at the nearest android. It seemed to send a very brief shock through its body, but not really affect it.

Except to activate whatever self-defense programming the robots had. In a millisecond all three had struck out at the young Captain, knocking him to the ground instantly. Spock quickly scooped Kirk up. As he got in the way of the androids' continued blows and the discharges of some sort of weaponry, he felt pain explode on his jaw and side.

Spock brushed off the pain and concentrated on getting his commanding officer out of danger. He got into another room and closed the door.

"Spock, I can _walk_," Jim protested. Spock let him down and Jim wobbled momentarily, then straightened solidly. The Captain wiped at his cheek and looked at the blood coating his hand dispassionately. "Thanks," he said quietly.

Spock inclined his head again.

"What _were_ those things?" Kirk asked, getting out his communicator.

"I do not know." Spock's answer was matter-of-fact as he restrained a wince, brushing a hand against his side. "It is likely they were part of the ship's security system."

"Probably," Kirk agreed with a strained nod. Suddenly a massive explosion rocked the ship, sending them both flying to the nearest wall. Jim hit it first, shoulder smashing into metal, and Spock landed half-sprawled on the Captain's back. Another explosion directly followed the first, and both officers helped each other to their feet. Something creaked above them and Kirk shoved Spock out the door. Just as Spock got through the doorway, a crash came from the room.

"Captain!" Spock coughed as dust filled the room.

"I'm good," came the weak response. Spock carefully walked back through the door, waving away the dust. "Just a little squashed." The air cleared to reveal Kirk laying a few feet from the doorway with a metal sheet on top of part of his his ribs and left leg.

Spock knelt down next to his captain, his expression unreadable. "Captain, I am going to attempt to remove this."

"Sounds great," Kirk said through gritted teeth. Spock curled his fingers around the metal and lifted. It was extremely heavy, but he managed to lift it and slide it away. He finished moving it just as the ship lurched again and Jim's communicator went off.

Kirk brushed off Spock's attempt to help him up and answered it, one hand against the wall.

_"Enterprise to Kirk,"_ Chekov's voice came through.

"Kirk here," he said, his voice forcibly even. "What's happening, Ensign?"

_"You've got to get out of there, Keptain. Something is causing the ship to self-destruct."_

"Yes, we can see that, Ensign. Put me through to Scotty._"_

_"Yes, sir," _the young Russian said.

_"Scott here, Cap'n," _Scotty said a moment later. 

"Can you lock onto our signals?"

_"Yes, sir."_

"Then beam us up."

_"Right away, sir."_

Kirk staggered as another explosion shot through the ship and Spock automatically threw out a hand to steady him.

A rhythmic thudding echoed from the hallway and Spock felt a prickle go up his spine. He quickly went to close the door, but it had been damaged.

Jim cursed. "We've got to move and hope Scotty can find us anyway." Spock nodded and they moved out of the room. The three androids had gotten reinforcements. Seven were now coming toward them, metallic eyes flashing.

"In here," Jim panted. A weapon blast hit Spock in the back and he bit back a sound of pain. Jim let out a grunt as one hit him. They escaped into another room and closed the door. The Captain shot the opening mechanism.

"Captain?" Spock asked through clenched teeth.

"If they're... part of the system, it stands to reason... that they would be able to open doors." Jim's face was white as he balanced his weight on one leg, clearly fighting to appear nonchalant. The tremors were becoming more frequent, forcing them to constantly shift balance.

"That is likely," Spock agreed. He answered his communicator as it went off.

_"I can't get a lock on ye," _Scotty said.

"We were... moving," Kirk said, standing next to the Vulcan.

_"Yes, I got tha'. But yer not movin' now, and it's still not working." _

Spock told him a way that could help compensate. Faint beeps came through as the engineer implemented it.

_"Alright, that seems to be working. But..." _Scotty cursed. _"Somethin's still wrong, I only have enough power to beam up one person."_

"Beam up the Captain," Spock said.

"No." Kirk put a hand on Spock's arm.

"Captain, you are in far greater need of medical assistance," Spock insisted.

"But I can't help Scotty... fix it. If _I _go, odds are that-" Jim clenched his teeth as a jolt sent his weight onto his injured leg. "Odds are that you'll be stuck here. But _you..._ can fix it, Spock, you know you can."

"Captain, I-"

"That's an order, Mr. Scott. Beam up the Commander," Jim said, his expression holding no question.

_"Aye, Cap'n,"_ Scotty said. Kirk moved back from Spock as the Vulcan was beamed up.

"Move!" Spock ordered as he went to the console, fingers flying as he pulled power to the Transporter. Each second seemed to drag on as Spock punched in the command to beam up.

A hazy form began to show just as Chekov's voice came through, _"Ze ship has... exploded, sir." _He sounded shell-shocked.

Spock muttered something in Vulcan, compensating for everything he could think of.

Kirk appeared on the beaming platform, bleeding and pale and looking incredibly surprised to be alive.

"Emergency medical team to Transporter room 2," Spock ordered. He winced involuntarily at a pain in his back as he helped Jim to stand carefully. The Captain's sincere eyes found Spock's, and he let out a breath.

"Thank you, Spock."

"I am indebted to you as well_,_ Captain," Spock murmured, relief flooding through him. He let the emergency medical team take care of them both, finally at ease.

"And-" Kirk's words were cut off as McCoy injected him with a hypospray sedative.

The Doctor's gaze met Spock's. Eyebrow twitching, McCoy was clearly holding back a flood of "I told you so"s. But his eyes showed frustrated relief. Spock and Kirk were taken to sickbay.

Spock's gaze kept flitting to Kirk as a nurse bandaged Spock's green-tinged bruised ribs. Kirk required more extensive treatment, scans and a splint and some carefully checked medication.

Eventually Spock had to leave, though McCoy told him in between glares that Kirk would be _just fine_, and released from sickbay once he was conscious again.

Late that night, Spock walked into the mess hall to see a solitary figure sitting at a table in the corner.

"...Captain?" Spock tilted his head slightly to one side. Jim jumped slightly, looking up with slightly red eyes.

"Hey, Spock." He forced a smile

Spock inclined his head toward the chair questioningly and Kirk nodded. Spock sat down and Kirk looked back at the ground. After a moment of silence, Jim let out a scoff.

"I was so... stupid today, Spock." Kirk shook his head. "I didn't listen to Gray, and now he's dead, and Travis too." He put his head in his hands, his voice quieting. "We've... we've just already lost so many _people_. And I lost two more." Self-directed anger crept into his tone at the end.

"Captain." Spock let out a breath. "Jim. What happened today was not your fault. If anything, it was mine-"

"No. No, Spock." Jim shook his head, his voice firm. "Don't start that. It wasn't you."

"Are you certain of that fact, Captain?" Spock asked, almost gently. "It was I who persuaded you to continue on in spite of warnings. Twice, to my count."

Kirk ran his uninjured hand through his hair. "I don't blame you for this. Not in any way."

"No, you refuse to place blame upon any other than yourself." Spock raised one eyebrow. "Even when it is clear that such an action is highly illogical."

"Logic? You're pulling logic on me at two in the morning?" Kirk smiled faintly. "Alright. I surrender. It wasn't _totally _my fault. We'll attribute the rest to Karma hating me."

Spock nodded slightly, knowing that this was the best he would get from the Captain.

"Thank you," Jim repeated quietly. With a minute shrug, Spock's eyes softened.

"It was my pleasure, Captain."

_A/N: So. I'd love to hear what you think, as I haven't really done much Star Trek. I don't know all that much about the universe, either, so if there are issues with that or the characters, let me know! This came from a random picture of Spock and Kirk on an abandoned ship, injured, and Chekov telling them to get out._


End file.
